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Reiss Nelson heaps praise on former coach and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry

Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson has revealed that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry had a big impact on his game during his short spell as an academy coach at the club.

Henry spent time working with the U-18s at Arsenal’s London Colney base until manager Arsene Wenger decided he could not have a coach in the system who also appears as a pundit on TV.

The Frenchman was offered a full-time role on the condition that he gave up his role at Sky Sports, though was unwilling and went on to take a role under Roberto Martinez in the Belgium setup.

While Henry was at the club, however, Nelson has revealed just how much of an influence he was.

"Thierry [Henry] is an Arsenal legend and I had an opportunity to spend time with him when he was a coach at the academy," Nelson told Goal.

Nelson (left) revealed that Henry had a big impact in such a short time as his coach (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Nelson (left) revealed that Henry had a big impact in such a short time as his coach (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

"I think he helped me a lot over his short time as Arsenal coach and he showed me little things that I took on board and have now started to show in my game.

"He was a great coach for me but he's also a great guy. He helped the younger players a lot and he said that the main things at Arsenal are respect and hard work. He always underlined these two things.

"He said if you could take that in at a young age, the talent will do its work; that if you work hard and respect everyone around you, you can push on to become a top player."

Nelson’s comments follow on from fellow teammate Alex Iwobi, who recently hailed Henry’s influence on his career to this point, while revealing he still offers him advice.